First Annual USAF Vietnam Group Build

Striker8241

Hi, All,

I've been really busy the last few weeks helping my son renovate his rental house so I've had little time to do any modeling. I did manage to begin work around the navigator's console. The first picture below shows the original kit navigator's seat and my modification to a more authentic version. The second picture shows the lower bunk temporarily in place and the approximate location of the seat. I'll be starting on the navigator console next.

Cheers,

Russ

Nice work Russ!  So tell me, where did you get the more authentic version of the navigator's seat?

Ken

Thanks, Ken!. I found some pictures online and modified the seat that came with the kit.

Cheers,

Russ

Ahh...good eyes - you noticed there were two seats there .  To explain that, I'll have to reveal a dirty little secret...I misplaced a package of loose parts from my original kit so I bought another kit. Hopefully, I'll find the original parts someday....

Russ

Striker8241

Ahh...good eyes - you noticed there were two seats there .  To explain that, I'll have to reveal a dirty little secret...I misplaced a package of loose parts from my original kit so I bought another kit. Hopefully, I'll find the original parts someday....

Russ

Wow Russ, that is some heavy modifications!  When you have time, you will have to show how you did that!  To me, it looks something like Rubik's Cube   to come up with that configuration out the original seat!

Ken

Hi, Ken,

Actually it wasn't that difficult. The biggest difference in the seats is that the real navigator's seat reclines about 30 degrees while the kit seat is vertical. Once I got some measurements from online pictures I was able to cut the base of the seat to the correct angle. After that, it was just a matter of trimming and shaping the seat to match the actual configuration.

I cut off the rails on the back since the seat is not an ejection seat (Italeri probably just grabbed this seat from another model kit) and reduced the width toward the top. Fortunately, the overall shape of the kit seat was pretty close to the real seat once the base was cut correctly.

I cut off the upper sides of the seat and moved them in slightly to form side cushions. I also cut the head rest off and supported it with bent staples. Below are the primary measurements.

Cheers,

Russ

Striker8241

Hi, Ken,

Actually it wasn't that difficult. The biggest difference in the seats is that the real navigator's seat reclines about 30 degrees while the kit seat is vertical. Once I got some measurements from online pictures I was able to cut the base of the seat to the correct angle. After that, it was just a matter of trimming and shaping the seat to match the actual configuration.

I cut off the rails on the back since the seat is not an ejection seat (Italeri probably just grabbed this seat from another model kit) and reduced the width toward the top. Fortunately, the overall shape of the kit seat was pretty close to the real seat once the base was cut correctly.

I cut off the upper sides of the seat and moved them in slightly to form side cushions. I also cut the head rest off and supported it with bent staples. Below are the primary measurements.

Cheers,

Russ

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Russ for the information!  You did an awesome job converting yours!     

Ken

Thanks, Ken!

Hey Guys, Finally got around to making a post.

Ken sorry to hear about your friend. And thanks for posting the pictures.

Russ, nice work

I've been plugging along at trying to finish my F-105. But its been a hassle. Two weeks ago I took it to my LHS and somehow the right landing gear snapped Got that fixed started applying the decal, which silvered on me over gloss. Which is surprising since Microscale made them. The only thing that saved me was solvent and even then there's still silvering. Half way through decaling disaster strikes yet again the same landing gear snaps. I was about ready to throw the towel in but got the gear back on. At this point I'm thinking the model is cursed

Ended up losing a few decals around the canopy area that I cut out for later. I think it got caught in this little monsters fur the other night.

Anyway here's pictures of the thud. In no way does it rank as one of my better builds. But nevertheless I've learned a lot and had fun with it. Next up I'm going to give it another gloss coat and hope to cut down on the silvering decals. Here's some pictures showing where I'm at. I was getting ready to cook dinner so I just snapped a couple.

I'm going to say it has markings for a generic plane for Vietnam and leave it at that. Since the Mircoscale sheet was for 1980's 105's the only one I could find. Got a few parts still to glue on. Knocked off one little piece and lost it to the kitchen tile monster. But I'll be able to scratch it pretty easy. After that finish up the ordnance mount and dull coat and finish I hope!

Sorry for the long long post.

THat looks pretty durned good to me!  Keep up the good work!

Jim

Thanks Jim! This is the third go around building this model. And at least I can say its the best one so far.

GreySnake

Hey Guys, Finally got around to making a post.

Ken sorry to hear about your friend. And thanks for posting the pictures.

Russ, nice work

I've been plugging along at trying to finish my F-105. But its been a hassle. Two weeks ago I took it to my LHS and somehow the right landing gear snapped Got that fixed started applying the decal, which silvered on me over gloss. Which is surprising since Microscale made them. The only thing that saved me was solvent and even then there's still silvering. Half way through decaling disaster strikes yet again the same landing gear snaps. I was about ready to throw the towel in but got the gear back on. At this point I'm thinking the model is cursed

Ended up losing a few decals around the canopy area that I cut out for later. I think it got caught in this little monsters fur the other night.

 

Anyway here's pictures of the thud. In no way does it rank as one of my better builds. But nevertheless I've learned a lot and had fun with it. Next up I'm going to give it another gloss coat and hope to cut down on the silvering decals. Here's some pictures showing where I'm at. I was getting ready to cook dinner so I just snapped a couple.

 

 

I'm going to say it has markings for a generic plane for Vietnam and leave it at that. Since the Mircoscale sheet was for 1980's 105's the only one I could find. Got a few parts still to glue on. Knocked off one little piece and lost it to the kitchen tile monster. But I'll be able to scratch it pretty easy. After that finish up the ordnance mount and dull coat and finish I hope!

Sorry for the long long post.

Hi GreySnake,

Really sorry to hear about all that trouble you ran into.  Kudos to you for hanging in there and making it still look great!      (By the way, who is the "Crew Chief" for your cat?    )

Ken

Thanks Ken! I'll admit I was about ready give up on it. But then I thought about the time I put in to it and kept going.

As for the cat I think she's an enemy spy.

Kiwi

Finally some time to get the airbrush out and start some base layers on the F-104 and A-1! Bit dark in the new garage so couldn't really see what I was doing but was too excited to be painting again to bother rigging up some better lighting. Painted internal panels and bulkheads so I can start working on the cockpit and gear bays.

That is quite an assembly line you got going there Tim!  Your air compressor probably needs to cool off after all of that!

Ken

Kiwi

Finally some time to get the airbrush out and start some base layers on the F-104 and A-1! Bit dark in the new garage so couldn't really see what I was doing but was too excited to be painting again to bother rigging up some better lighting. Painted internal panels and bulkheads so I can start working on the cockpit and gear bays.
 
 

Tim,

Good to hear your life is getting back to normal and you're painting again. Looking forward to seeing more!

All the best,

Russ

Kiwi, First off I may be wrong on this so anyone feel free to correct me  I'm assuming  that you painted the gear bay with Tamiya  acrylic's judging by you''re previous photos? Putting a wash of acrylic paint over acrylic is going to start eating into the base coat. My advice would be to repaint the bay and if you have any enamel paint do a wash with that. An enamel wash won't damage the acrylic underneath. Hope this helps you out Kiwi

David

Kiwi

Thank you gentlemen! Question if I may?

I spent about an hour dry brushing the instrument panel and I just don't know how to make it looks better? I will pick off individual dials and knobs with different shades and colors but I don't know how to make it really pop, any suggestions?

I also can't get my washes to work either. See the internal gear bay. The wash looks great when it's wet but then it dries away and just seems to eat the paint. I use a mix of about 1/20 acrylic paint/acrylic thinner applied with a soft brush or sponge.

Any suggestions?

Hi Tim,

I am not an expert but I will offer my limited experience.

On instrument panels with dials, I have found using colored photo etch is the way to go.  But you will have to file down smooth your panel to apply it, which will result in losing the "3D" look and result in a "2D".  But you will have the color you are looking for.

Another trick I have used is to dry brush white inside the dial.  I use a lighted magnifying glass and a lot of patience.  And as GreySnake has already pointed out, you should use the opposite type of paint when doing this.  In other words, either start with acrylic as the base paint and then use enamel to dry brush with or start with enamel as the base then use acrylic to dry brush with.  That way the two do not "dissolve" when you use them.  And don't try this with enamel and lacquer.  They don't get along at all.  My preference is to use enamel as the base coat and dry brush with acrylic.  This also applies for doing a wash.  If you use acrylic as the dry brush paint and you don't like what you did or you make a mistake, it just takes water to wipe it off.  Also, after you have the dials looking the way you want, add a drop of Future to give it a look of glass on the top.

On the subject of washes, just as I and GreySnake mentioned already, use the two opposite types of paints.  Also, use a gloss coat for the base coat.  You want to be able to wipe off the extra wash easily and you won't be able to wipe it off of a flat finish.  If the finish needs to be flat, wait until you are done with the wash then put a coat of flat clear over the whole thing when it is finished the way you like it.

Another thing I do when putting on the wash is add dish soap, just a few drops.  (Of course you can only do this with acrylic paint!)  It helps to keep it from getting a firm grip on the surface so that when I go to wipe off the excess, it comes off easier.

There are a lot of great modeling books out there that cover this kind of stuff a lot better than I just did.  (That is where I picked up some of these ideas.)  In fact, a good one I can recommend is from FineScale Modeler Books called "Building and Detailing Model Aircraft".  Here is a link to it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Detailing-Aircraft-FineScale-Modeler/dp/0890247234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381976741&sr=8-1&keywords=Building+and+Detailing+Model+Aircraft 

Ken

Another thing I forgot to mention is letting the base coat of paint dry completely before putting on the wash or dry brushing.  Enamel usually takes at least 48 hours to dry completely.  Acrylic takes about 24 hours.  Each brand is different, so you should check with the manufacturer to be sure.

Model Master has a great page that has information about drying times, mixing ratios, and more.  Here is a link:

http://www.testors.com/faq 

Ken

Hi Everyone,

So it is time for me to start on the SR-71A Blackbird!

 For those of you who are familiar with my past F-4E project, you know how I cannot build straight out of the box.  Well this one is not going to be any different.  So to start off with as is common, I will begin with the cockpit.  I will be using the aftermarket cockpit from True Details.

Here is a closer look at it out of the package: 

 So the first step since this is made out of resin is to soak it overnight in Bleche-Wite to remove any residual mold release agents left from the production process.

Ken

Gonna be awesome, Ken!   BTW, how do you keep that cutting board/work surface so clean? Do you just roll it out for photos?

Russ

Striker8241

Gonna be awesome, Ken!   BTW, how do you keep that cutting board/work surface so clean? Do you just roll it out for photos?

Russ

You crack me up Russ!    Actually, I did just clean it when I cleared the F-4E off the bench.  It is gradually accumulating cuts and spots of paint.  I got this sheet from my Dad's old workbench, so it has a little bit of his aurora about it!

Ken

Hi Everyone!

Tonight I took the cockpit and scrubbed it while it was still in the Bleche-Wite solution using a cheap long bristle paint brush.  Then I thoroughly rinsed it under warm water and blow dried it with compressed air.

I do not have any reference books yet on the SR-71 so I went searching on the internet for the colors used in the cockpit.  I found that there are some great pictures on Cybermodeler.com  It appears that the basic color is the standard FS36231.  I will ask Don tomorrow at our monthly IPMS meeting to be sure.  In fact I will bring the cockpit with me and ask him to help document the colors.

Ken

Looking forward to seeing that SR-71 come to life Ken! I don't believe I've ever seen one those kits built.

On my front I've gotten most of the ordnance striping on with decals. But boy does it take a lot of time! I spent almost an hour getting everything on just the shrike. I'll post some pictures hopefully tonight once I'm finished.

Did a marathon modeling session this evening. Here's pictures of the ordnance with the strips on.

002 

And after some drying time did a little painting and mounted the missiles on the plane. 

005 

At this point my heart skipped a beat. The model was sitting on the table and the little surface to air cat jumped on the table and just missed it by a few inches!

My painting on the missiles isn't that great. A few years ago I could've done it with no problem but my eyesight isn't what it used to be.. Looks like I'll be needing glasses soon. Glad my work added a plan to my coverage.

And here is picture showing where I'm at now.

004 

I guess at this point I'm pretty much done with it. Just have a few touch ups to do here and there. And after that dull coat it and remove the canopy masks.

GreySnake

Did a marathon modeling session this evening. Here's pictures of the ordnance with the strips on.

002 

And after some drying time did a little painting and mounted the missiles on the plane. 

005 

At this point my heart skipped a beat. The model was sitting on the table and the little surface to air cat jumped on the table and just missed it by a few inches!

My painting on the missiles isn't that great. A few years ago I could've done it with no problem but my eyesight isn't what it used to be.. Looks like I'll be needing glasses soon. Glad my work added a plan to my coverage.

And here is picture showing where I'm at now.

004 

I guess at this point I'm pretty much done with it. Just have a few touch ups to do here and there. And after that dull coat it and remove the canopy masks.

Hi GreySnake,

Glad to hear that the "SAM" cat missed its mark!  That would have been terrible!

That F-105G is looking great!      Those missiles make it look mean as hell!  And you did a great job putting on the decals, they look really nice!  I am really looking forward to when you have it complexly finished, you are so close!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Well we had a marathon local chapter IPMS meeting tonight.  Of course the main topic of discussion was Don's F-84E.  But we also talked about the colors for the cockpit on the SR-71A!  And just as I suspected, the base color is the standard FS 36231 Dark Gull Grey.  I do have that color on my shelf, so I will be painting tomorrow!

I also ordered a couple of reference books.  The first one is called "Aerofax Minigraph 1:  Lockheed SR-71 (A-12 / YF-12 /D-21)".  The second one is "Squadron Signal Publications SR-71 Blackbird in Action".  They both should be arriving some time in the middle of next week.

Ken

Kiwi

Gents thanks so much for all the tips and humus about weathering. I have a pile of enamels that I've been too scared to try using so I'll break those out at the weekend and give it a go, might have to re-paint the sections that were attacked by the second layer of acrylics but no drama.

Ken, here are a few pics of the blackbird at the museum of flight in Seattle. I think technical it's the CIA variant with the parasite drone on top.







The tires were particularly cool. I think they had some kind of titanium/silver compound in them to keep them from blowing up upon landing. There's an awesome article about it an old Air and Space that I can dig out and scan for you I'd you're interested.

Tim

Hi Tim,

Yes please keep those pictures coming!  But anything that is in a book you should send in a private message since it would be against the copyright to post here.

The only pictures I have so far have been the ones I took of the YF-12A at the National USAF Museum in Dayton Ohio.  It is very similar to the SR-71A.  But it was crowded in with other planes so it was difficult to get any good shots, but I was able to get some decent close ups.  The engines had been removed however, so that was disappointing.

 Ken